In this Masterclass Webinar replay, PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright is joined by PDP Coaching Advisor, James Coutts for an interactive and engaging webinar on the challenging topic of How to Coach Teenagers. Dan and James present a series of considerations for developing youth players from social and emotional needs, through to physical and tactical considerations. This replay also includes questions from the live audience who tuned in at the time which the PDP team answered during the presentation. This is essential viewing for coaches…
Coach Dan Wright
The question this week comes from Rich: “My main issue is getting my U9 team to believe they are as good as what I see them do at training. On game day they seem to freeze up and suffer a bit of stage fright!” Your Turn: Ask PDP Anything Do you have a coaching question that we might be able to help with? We would love to hear from you! Here’s what you can do: 1. Tweet your questions to us @playerdp, or contact us on our Facebook…
In this Live Webinar replay, UEFA A licensed coaches Dan Wright and Dave Wright share some of their favourite small sided games for youth football. Dan and Dave present a number of practices, including lead in games, adaptations and reasons behind some of their top small sided games for discussion with coaches in the room. The practices presented are adaptable and the guys share ideas as to how they could be adjusted for various player numbers or ages, as well as tackling questions from guests…
Many players are dubbed the next ‘wonderkid’, but few back it up. Renato Sanches’ exciting performances at Euro 16 showed why the biggest clubs in the world were prepared to gamble €63 million on an 18-year-old with just 24 first team appearances to his name. PDP Technical Advisor, Dan Wright reviews Sanches’ tournament and looks ahead to his time in Germany. Born in Lisbon to a father from São Tomé and Príncipe and a mother from Cape Verde, Renato Sanches grew up in the impoverished neighbourhood of Musgueira. Here in…
Player Development Project Technical Advisor, Dan Wright discusses the importance of knowing your player, building relationships and coaching the person. Building trust between coach and player is vital for success at all levels. If your goal as the coach is to aid development of youth players or to win the Premier League it is impossible without the relationship between athlete and coach. The intangible bond between athlete and coach is very noticeable, at training sessions, in conversations and at games and yet at the same…
How do we help players develop resilience and tactical awareness to cope with defending out of balance? PDP Technical Advisor & UEFA A licensed coach, Dan Wright shares some advice. When playing an expansive or possession based approach there can be times that you leave yourself exposed, if you misplace a pass or get caught with players high up the pitch it can be costly. In these scenarios it is vital that defenders can actually defend in 1v1 situations and perhaps even worse! I had…
Defending is an art form and easily overlooked when the focus in youth development can often be around exciting, attacking play. PDP Technical Advisor & UEFA A licensed coach, Dan Wright shares a session on defending around the box. The main aims of this session are: – Lots of repetition of the key principles of delay, deny and deflect – Progressing from defending 1 v 1 to defending as a unit – Repetition of blocks, headers and clearances – Developing the decision-making of the key…